Bleeding Hearts | Steven Isserlis, cello

Schubert’s precocious song Death and the Maiden, composed at 17, shaped his String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, a fearless meditation on impermanence made all the more visceral in this string orchestra arrangement by Mahler. For his long-awaited Orpheus debut, Steven Isserlis interprets a cello concerto that exemplifies the sensitive style of C.P.E. Bach—a trailblazer who channeled his father’s dizzying craft into music of heartfelt transparency, guiding the way for Haydn and Mozart. Music by the tragically short-lived Hans Rott gives a tantalizing taste of a rising star admired by Bruckner and Mahler.